Spoilers for Daredevil #25 ahead!
Daredevil revealed the reason he let himself be sent to prison: to set a better example for other heroes. Daredevil dropped this bombshell on his former lover Elektra in Daredevil #25, by writer Chip Zdarsky, artist Marco Checchetto, and colorist Marcio Menyz. The first part of a new storyline titled “The Red Fist,” will explore the fallout from Daredevil going to prison.
Daredevil has found himself in one of the most unique situations he or any other hero has had to deal with: going to prison. In Daredevil’s case, he was locked up for the accidental death of a liquor store robber he was trying to apprehend. And to complicate matters even more, he will be going to prison as Daredevil and not Matt Murdock. In the previous issue, Daredevil pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after learning Elektra had made arrangements for Hell’s Kitchen to be watched over while he was in prison. And while Hell’s Kitchen may now be in good hands, Daredevil is behind bars for two years, which places him in a compromised position.
Elektra comes to visit Daredevil in prison. She cannot believe that Daredevil would rather spend time in prison rather than fight crime on the streets. She asks how many lives could potentially be saved with Daredevil on the streets and how he can justify that. She is at a loss when Daredevil tells her he wishes to set a better example for costumed heroes and make the careless ones “more careful.” Elektra is not having it, chastising Daredevil for always playing a martyr; in a flashback, we learn Foggy Nelson, part of Daredevil’s legal team, was not happy with the decision either.
If there was ever one Marvel hero who went through the wringer and back it is Daredevil. Numerous times he has been horribly beaten, his identity exposed and friends and lovers betray him; is his decision here to show a better way part of a desire to have others avoid his mistakes? How long can Daredevil last in prison before he is attacked, and his identity exposed to the world again? Elektra warned Daredevil that the Hand were reforming and more deadly than ever - how long before they make their presence known? Will they come to prison looking for Daredevil?
These questions and more will no doubt be answered in the months ahead, but for now, fans know why Daredevil agreed to go to prison in the first place. His rationale seems dubious to those around him, and only time will tell if it pays off.